I am trying to get in touch with my emotions at the moment because I buy into the idea that people decide emotionally and then justify rationally at least 80% of the time.
But hey this is tough.
I'm
- a man
- British - and we invented the stiff upper lip
- a qualified accountant trained to analyse the facts and then make the decision.
I've suffered from "repressed emotion syndrome" for years and I suspect that many professional men have done as well.
It seems that the masters of emotional processing - women - control about 90% of the purchase decisions made in the home. Everything except the latest gadgets I guess.
There is a need for the man's guide to marketing to women.
A few quick emotional words - anger, happiness, guilt, shame, envy, jealousy...
Hold on, aren't envy and jealousy synonyms for the same emotion?
After a bit of research, it seems they are not although common usage has pushed the words together.
Jealousy refers to the fear of losing something you value to another - think jealous husband who sees his beautiful wife being "chatted up" by another man.
Envy is the desire for the qualities or possessions of someone else. "I wish I had a Ferrari like John"
Before I looked up the definitions I struggle to separate shame and guilt - shame is feeling bad about who you see yourself as while guilt is pain that comes from regretting an action you've taken.
Men bottle emotions up while women share emotions, talk about them and empathise.
The late great copywriter Gary Halbert says that men recognise a few different emotions but women have about two hundred!
No wonder men can't understand women, we really are from different planets.
Gary Halbert in his famous Gary Halbert Letters, tells you to read women's magazines, study their adverts, find the hot buttons and get in tune with your feelings and emotions.
The Emotional Challenge
I've identified a few emotions in this blog and tried to define them.
To help you get in tune with your emotions, have a go yourself.
Pick an emotion and try to define it by leaving a comment.
I was reading one of my earlier blogs on buyer behaviour and how to make people buy.
It included some research from The Vatican on the differences in the common sins between men and women and it has clear implications on how the marketing should be pitched differently.
If you are a man, your main sins in order are:
1. Lust
2. Gluttony
3. Sloth
But woman give in to different temptations:
1. Pride
2. Envy
3. Anger
You can read the full article at
http://businesscoaching.typepad.com/the_business_coaching_blo/2009/02/buyer-behaviour-how-to-make-people-buy.html
Posted by: Paul | 03 November 2009 at 01:06 PM